Driven in the pouring rain for several hours in their sports car to meet me for dinner and drive back to work early the next morning. He had to hold an umbrella over his head the entire time because the roof of the car would not come up!

For most of my life it was French but since I understand the language then it is a bit distracting if I were to select a language that I could make an objective comment on. I would probably have to say Italian.

Staying in the comfort zone too long makes us complacent and antsy to do something challenging. Most people won't accept the call to step forward. This is our Hero's Journey. Most people choose to rent DVDs and watch an actor or actress portray these important decision making moments in their lives where they have to really stretch themselves as people to grow and mature. These growth spurts are necessary if we are to find satisfaction at the end of our lives.

Why do we go on scary rides at a fair? To get out of our comfort zone, right? It's the long terms ones that really count at the end of the day. :)

Many years ago I was a young student living in Paris as an au pair girl for a year. I decided to read a French paperback that was fiction but based on historical events. I think it was called the Russians but I'm not sure. It was quite a think book and I soon realized that I'd got in over my head. This means that I was spending more time looking up words than actually reading the book. I was determined to "read" it and worked my way through it for many months. I did finally finish it. I learned a lot about the language but the most important thing I learned was to discipline myself to do a little bit everyday. I was starting to think in French and had to speak in French with the people around me as well.

I don't recommend reading a long challenging novel but maybe some short stories might be worth considering. Reading outloud helps as well. Remember, you can't eat an elephant. You can't do it all so take your time and digest the small chewable bites!! Savor what you are learning. :)

Whenever I am learning a new language, I find it helps a lot to read a passage outloud not only to practice pronunciation but also to get into the music of the language. I've found a sense of accomplishment and happiness when doing this in the languages I've studied in the past such as French, Spanish, German, Estonian, Finnish and even Russian. It helps too if you can take a bit of time everyday and listen to a native speaker speaking their language. I found that a new personality was emerging so yes, there is a part of you that will start thinking like a native English speaker and that makes this learning process a lot of fun. Good luck, don't put so much pressure on yourself, but train yourself to study consistently, no matter how little time you have.

Here is the Armenian entry: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChkJpnOgIwQ

You can see all the contestants that won their local competition sing their songs. Here is the contestant for Azerbaijan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipQswujA5gw.